Rallies held in San Francisco to remember Sandy Hook victims

Advocates for stricter gun laws held remembrance events in San Francisco to honor victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting.

December 14, 2013 6:19:33 PM PST

by Cornell Barnard

SAN FRANCISCO --

Calls for stricter gun laws were echoed clear across the country and here in the Bay Area, where advocates held their own remembrance events in honor of the mass murder at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

A rally to honor the victims ended at United Nations Plaza in San Francisco Saturday night. Many say they want the violence to end and they are demanding stricter federal gun laws.

About 50 people joined the peace march South of Market to remember the victims of the Newtown tragedy one year ago.

At U.N. Plaza a group sponsored by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence staged a "lie in." People laid down on the ground as each victims name was read.

Not far away, 26 pairs of shoes to honor the victims.

"Enough is enough," said Mindy Finkelstein

Finkelstein spoke at the rally. She survived a mass shooting in 1999 at a Los Angeles Jewish community center.

"It's awful," she said. "I mean, we have to as a nation come together and realize that we actually can make a difference and make tragedies like this end."

Many turned out for a gun buyback in the Bayview District that was supervised by San Francisco police and sponsored by Alive and Free Omega Boys Club. More than 70 guns were turned in. Owners got $100 for a handgun and $200 for assault weapons.

"One person can do a lot of damage and one person can do a lot of good," said Joe Marshall with the Omega Boys Club. "The biggest risk factor in violence is a firearm."

"So many lives and tears," Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi said. "How many lives taken are enough to evoke the action necessary?"

The House minority leader spoke at a somber prayer service in Pacific Heights. She says the debate for stricter federal gun laws continues. Compromises have been made to the NRA.

"We understand the culture of hunting, they have to understand the demands of safety," she said. "And that this is a compromise!"

At the end of the service the Golden Gate Boys Chorus sang Amazing Grace.